Thiago Motta (Brazilian Portuguese: [tʃiˈaɡu ˈmɔtɐ]; Italian: [ˈtjaːɡo ˈmɔtta]; born 28 August 1982) is a professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Serie A club Juventus.

A defensive midfielder, Motta spent his early career in Spain with Barcelona, where he won two La Liga titles and the UEFA Champions League despite recurring injuries.

After brief spells with Atlético Madrid and Genoa, Motta was signed by Inter Milan in 2009, being part of the squad that won a continental treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia and the Champions League in 2010.

[citation needed] Motta signed with Barcelona in 1999 at age 17 from São Paulo side Juventus-SP, initially being assigned to the club's B-side.

In 2002–03's La Liga he appeared in a career-best 21 games (with three goals) as Barça could only finish in sixth position, and also played an important part in the following season's long UEFA Cup run, which was eventually ended by Celtic; in the first leg, a 0–1 loss in Glasgow (0–1 on aggregate), he was sent off during half-time after hitting out at opposing goalkeeper Robert Douglas who was also shown the red card, in an incident that happened in the tunnel.

[8] Once again he began the season on the sidelines, injured; in the Copa del Rey quarter-final match against Valencia, he was ejected after only 25 minutes, and the Colchoneros lost the away fixture 0–1 and subsequently the tie.

In March, however, the recurrent knee problems reappeared and his season was over, followed by a successful surgery and rehabilitation in the United States;[10][11] he trialled with Premier League side Portsmouth after his release, but did not sign for them.

[25] Motta also appeared in eight games during the club's victorious Champions League campaign, including the 0–1 loss at former side Barcelona in the semi-finals (3–2 aggregate win).

[28] On 31 January 2012, in spite of Inter manager Claudio Ranieri indicating shortly before he was confident the player would remain with the club until the end of the season, having called him to the upcoming league match against Palermo,[29][30] Motta signed with Paris Saint-Germain in France, for a fee believed to be around €10 million.

[38] During his six-and-a-half-year stint at the Parc des Princes, he played 232 competitive matches and won 19 trophies, making his final appearance on 19 May against Caen.

[42] Subsequently, there were claims that he wanted to be called up for Italy and possibly to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as he possessed dual nationality – his paternal grandfather being Italian.

[45] On 6 February 2011, Motta received his first call-up from Italy, for a friendly against Germany, but an official statement from the Italian Football Federation declared it subject to FIFA clearance,[46] which was granted two days later.

[49] He was selected to the finals in Poland and Ukraine, starting in three group stage matches for the Azzurri and adding two substitute appearances, against Germany in the semi-finals (2–1 win) and Spain in the final; in the decisive match, after having again replaced Riccardo Montolivo, in the 55th minute, he suffered a hamstring injury after only five minutes and had to be carried off, leaving his team with ten players as he was the third and last allowable player brought in by manager Cesare Prandelli – in an eventual 0–4 loss.

[71] His role has also been likened to that of a metodista ("centre-half," in Italian football jargon), due to his ability to dictate play in midfield as well as assist his team defensively.

[59][63][64][73][74] Due to his physical strength, heading accuracy and ability to make late attacking runs from behind into the penalty area, he excelled in the air,[59][62][73][75] and also possessed a powerful long-range shot;[59] despite his skills, he was also criticised for his aggression on the pitch and his lack of pace.

[10] In August 2019, following his spell as coach of Paris Saint-Germain's under-19 side,[38] Motta enrolled in the UEFA Pro Licence courses at the Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano;[77] he successfully obtained the license on 16 September 2020.

[78] On 21 October, his former club Genoa, at the time occupying the second-to-last position in the Italian top tier, announced his appointment as the new manager, replacing the recently dismissed Aurelio Andreazzoli.

[83] On 5 July 2021, Motta was appointed head coach of Serie A club Spezia, replacing departing manager Vincenzo Italiano following the latter's departure to Fiorentina.

[95][96] Subsequently, he managed to guide the club to clinch a UEFA Champions League berth for the first time since 1964–65, ensuring a top-five finish in Serie A.

[38] In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport in November of that year, he stated that he wanted to revolutionise football with a 4–3–3 formation that could be interpreted as a 2–7–2, commenting: "My idea is to play offensively.